EnviroRightsTT supports collective civil society advocacy through Trinidad and Tobago’s Universal Periodic Review
Through the EnviroRightsTT project, CANARI supported a collaborative civil society process to bring environmental rights and governance priorities into Trinidad and Tobago’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
What is the Universal Periodic Review?
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a United Nations Human Rights Council process through which the human rights record of every UN Member State is reviewed approximately every four to five years. As part of the process, governments report on progress and challenges, while civil society organisations and other stakeholders can make independent submissions highlighting human rights concerns and recommending actions for the State.
These stakeholder submissions help inform the review, during which other UN Member States make recommendations to the country under review. The State can then support or note these recommendations, with progress considered during the next UPR cycle. For civil society, the process provides an important opportunity to bring national issues to international attention and advocate for concrete commitments and reforms.
Bringing environmental rights into Trinidad and Tobago’s UPR
As part of this process, the EnviroRightsTT Civil Society Convening on 31 March 2026 brought together civil society actors to reflect on recent developments in environmental governance in Trinidad and Tobago and share experiences related to transparency, accountability and access rights. Discussions examined how environmental laws and national processes are evolving in practice and identified priorities for strengthening the right to a healthy environment, access to environmental information, public participation and access to justice.
Insights from the convening, alongside consultations with partners, affected communities, legal experts, youth advocates and other environmental and human rights actors, informed the development of a collective civil society submission to Trinidad and Tobago’s UPR. A draft was circulated for review, additional input and endorsement before being finalised and submitted in April 2026.
The submission highlights key gaps and challenges in the protection and implementation of environmental rights in Trinidad and Tobago and puts forward recommendations for action by the State. These include strengthening access to environmental information and public participation, protecting access to environmental justice, safeguarding environmental human rights defenders, advancing effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement and recognising the Right to a Healthy Environment in the consititution.
The submission was supported by a broad coalition of civil society organisations and individual environmental and human rights activists, demonstrating a shared commitment to strengthening environmental rights and accountability in Trinidad and Tobago.
This advocacy forms part of the wider EnviroRightsTT project, which is strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations and communities to use environmental laws and governance mechanisms to access information, participate meaningfully in environmental decision-making and seek justice where environmental rights are affected.
Read the full submission here